available on my sitelinkblog,
I didnt have too high expectations for this book, but I did think it would be better than it was.
I didnt like Jessica very much, and while I kind of understood where she was coming from, that she wanted attention, I didnt like it.
I kind of feel like she could have gotten attention from the people already around her, had she tried to get closer to them, but instead she went somewhere else.
Instead, she decided to go after guys, and generally guys that were not good for her, And then, I didnt like how she treated her friends, or what she did about the guy she liked, or generally just the people around her.
And, really, the way she handled the guy she liked just drove me crazy a couple of times, It was kind of dumb, and I didnt like it, even if theres maybe a very tiny bit of sympathy thrown toward her as well, just because she didnt know any better, and she needed to grow up but had to do some things to get there.
And then I didnt really like the resolution near the end, The whole slut thing. I just dont feel like she learned quite the message that she could have, Yea, she grew up and decided she didnt need men anymore and got closer with the people around her, but she didnt really
learn to move past the slut thing.
I believe that she still considers what she did a slut kind of thing, and Im not even too sure if she moved past that word when it comes to Tiffany, the 'school slut' just because her breasts grew big earlier than everyone else.
I actually would have liked to know more about Tiffany I dont feel like her character got as expanded as it could have been.
I would have liked to know more about why she showed her breasts, and how she handled it afterward, and what kind of slutty things shes actually done as opposed to what everyone around her ostracizes her for.
I did, however, like the ending, The boy she meets at the end sounds cute, but beyond that, I like that she has decided to focus on her friends and family, not ignore them like she did before.
That was good for her,
At first, I felt like her getting over the whole boys thing happened too fast, without enough reason or showing us that she really understood, but thinking back on it, I actually think it went about all right.
Lastly, her family, I like that Jessica got closer to her father and his girlfriend, I understand why her sister is mad at him, and yea her father is to blame for that, but they need to move on at some point.
And, I dont like their mother very much at all, I understand that shes upset over what happened, but she needs to move on, get over what happened, and stop being such a crybaby that needs her kids to take care of her.
The way she was always crying and Jessicas sister was always there to take care of her drove me crazy thats not how a parent should be acting, and she deserved the harsh words that Jessica gave her.
Also, its kind of pointed out that their mother might have even been aware of the affair while it was happening but chose to ignore it, and if so, then she should have done something about it earlier and not been in denial about it, because that might have lessened the pain a bit.
This book kind of angered me at points, at several points, but it wasnt completely horrible, It definitely didnt keep me glued to the pages, as I didnt even want to read it at a few points, would have put it down without sorrow, but maybe thats just me.
The ending pushed the star up maybe by half to,, but I'm still a bit unsure, Maybe someone else will enjoy it much more than I did, Fourteenyearold Jessica has realized it is easy to get the attention of boys and men, but she soon finds herself in over her head and longs for someone to help her.
From library catalog
This is a quick read onlypages and does explore how some girls and guys end up doing things that they know they shouldn't or that give them a reputation they would rather not have.
That said, I wasn't too impressed with the book overall,
Booklist:
After her parents' divorce, Jessica's father turns to a new love, and her mother is absorbed in grief and rejection.
Jessica feels abandoned and unimportant until she becomes aware of the attention her blossoming body and sexuality can bring, Gradually, this attention seems more important than school, her budding talent as a photographer, or even her selfrespect, In her desperate unhappiness, Jessica mistakes male lust and sex described in frequent, frank scenes with the beginning of a fulfilling relationship.
Her photographer's eye can see her mother's neediness, but not her own her former friend's status as easy, but not her own bad reputation.
Hoffmann's writing talent saves the novel from becoming too didactic, even as the story hammers home a lesson that is far better for teenage girls to learn from a book than from experience.
Honestly, I was questioning whether or not I would enjoy this before I began reading,
It didn't take me long to read at all,
I seriously questioned what the hell was going through the main characters head most of the time,
But I guess she was kind of relatable,
I would probably consider buying this for my bookshelf,
I can't say I didn't enjoy it, but I can't say I loved it.
And I grow fond of books very easily,
However I am more interested in reading sitelinkLoose Girl: A Memoir of Promiscuity, When I first added this to my list, I mostly read young adult and I was enticed by the summary, It sounded like the film Thirteen, As time went on, I put off reading it because I thought the length would mean it would be amateur but I was wrong.
Kerry Cohen writes about teens growing up too quickly in a concise but in depth way, The book has a variety of teens who are just trying to find their place in life, And I think the divorce plot was actually pretty well done, too, .